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i'm a can-opener. —alexey brodovitch about discovering talent in his students

Alexey Brodovitch sitting and working

Alexey Brodovitch, 1961. Gelatin silver print. Photo by Lida Moser. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.

 

white émigré at montparnasse

After fighting in the Russian Civil War, Brodovitch emigrated to Paris. He found himself living in the Montparnasse, a neighborhood teaming with some of the most influential artists of the 20th century including, for instance, Marc Chagall and Alexander Archipenko. There he was exposed to a number of styles: Surrealism, Dadaism, Suprematism, De Stijl, Constructivism, and Bauhaus. Alexey decided to follow his passion to become an artist and began attending drawing and sculpture classes.

Paris, Montmartre, 1925. A vintage black and white postcard
Paris, Gare Montparnasse, 1920s. A vintage black and white postcard
Paris, Le Dome cafe, 1921. A black and white photography
Paris, Montparnasse, Hotel Odessa, 1920s. A vintage black and white postcard

Paris, Gare Montparnasse, 1920s. Vintage postcard.

Paris, Le Dome cafe, 1921.

Paris, Montmartre, 1925. Vintage postcard.

Paris, Montparnasse, Hotel Odessa, 1920s. Vintage postcard.

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all designers, all photographers, all art directors whether they know it or not are students of alexey brodovitch.

—irving penn, photographer

getting in demand

Parisian friends helped Alexey secure a job as artist-decorator in Sergei Diaghilev's renowned company Ballets Russes. The young man created posters and decorations and took photos of dancers during rehearsals and try-ins. Alexey’s first success in design was a Grand Prix at a poster contest in 1924 for the charitable party Bal Banal: he outrun Pablo Picasso, who took the second prize. In 1925, Alexey won five medals for fabric, jewelry, and display design at the International Exhibition of Decorative Arts in Paris. Soon he was in great demand, designing décor, posters, and advertisements for department stores and restaurants.

brodovitch viewed the page as a three-dimensional space, in length, breadth, and depth.

—william owen, author of modern magazine design book

Alexey Brodovitch at work at Harpers Bazaar
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